Yavapai Community College has donated 100 pounds of student-cultivated tomatoes and cucumbers to the Navajo Nation. The Nation has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The idea of donating the food to the Nation came from Yavapai Community College Horticulture Professor Justin Brereton. It was the result of him hearing about the plight of the nation. Well done Professor Brereton and all the students who helped grow the tomatoes and cucumbers this past semester.
President Lisa Rhine made it clear in her May 4 video update to faculty and students that the College will use a wide variety of information and data when deciding when, and if, in-person classes will resume. She said that the College will rely on data, guidelines provided by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), information from state and local officials and conversations with individual college departments.
She also said that Yavapai Community College will be spending the next several weeks to prepare a plan that may lead to fully reopening in-person classes at some time in the future. She noted that she was not aware of any plan from the Arizona Governor’s office to allow for colleges or universities to return to in-person instruction.
You may view a clip of her video update that focuses on in-person class resumption in the video below.
The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board will hold its annual proposed budget meeting and monthly general meeting on Tuesday, May 12 beginning at 1 p.m. The Board members will be using the online program “Zoom” from their home or business to participate. Members of the public may view the Board proceeding on a link provided by the College to its Youtube channel from its agenda web page.
The first order of business will be a public meeting on the 2020-2021 budget. Persons interested in addressing the Board on the budget may do so from their computer or other device by registering prior to the Board meeting on the Governing Board web site.
You may view the annual Budget agenda for the public meeting by clicking here. https://www.yc.edu/v6/district-governing-board/sub/2020/05/public-hearing-full.pdf You may view the items scheduled for the General meeting, which follows the public meeting, by clicking here. https://www.yc.edu/v6/district-governing-board/sub/2020/05/regular-agenda-full.pdf
This is the last regularly scheduled monthly Governing Board meeting until August. The following is the announcement put out by the Governing Board regarding this particular meeting.
Yavapai Community College will offer its Verde Valley College for Kids Programs on-line beginning June 1. Students must select their classes by June 1, according to the College’s web site.
A fee is charged for each class; they are not free. However, the College has arranged for a large number of scholarships for students who want to attend. Those students must, however, apply for the scholarships. Scholarships were made available through generous donations from the Margaret T Morris Foundation, The Arizona Community Foundation of Yavapai County, and the Kiwanis Club of Prescott AZ. An online scholarship application can be found by clicking here.
Classes offered for students in the Verde Valley, according to the College web site, include the following. Note that there is a specific age range for each group of on-line offerings.
For more information about the College for Kids program, go to these web sites.
https://www.yc.edu/V6/lifelong-learning/college-kids/docs/su20collegeforkidsflyer2.pdf
https://www.campusce.net/YC/category/category.aspx?C=&S=695
Reporter Alexandra Wittenberg wrote a fascinating story in the May 4 edition of the Sedona Red Rock News in which she highlighted the learning challenges facing students during the pandemic in Yavapai Community College’s culinary program in Sedona and wine-making program at the Verde Campus.
The center’s Viticulture and Enology Director Michael Pierce told Wittenberg that “there is no reason the center’s teachers, including him, aren’t able to deliver the same rich content they always have virtually.” He went on to say that “nearly all aspects of the classes can be replicated online.” However, he noted that the staff are “especially feeling the struggle of manning the 12.95-acre estate vineyard on their own. “
Robert Barr, program director at the Sedona Center, told Wittenberg in an email that “it is a pleasure to be able to inform others on, ‘how do you teach Culinary Arts online and make it better than just turning on the Food Channel?’” He also said that “Culinary Arts students, especially at the Sedona Culinary Institute, are well focused and determined to get it right. They will do what-ever it takes to make sure what they are doing is also state-of-the-industry.”
You may read the entire article written by Alexandra Wittenberg in the Sedona Red Rock News by clicking here.
The Southwest Wine Center on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale will hold a curbside wine pick-up event on Saturday, May 9 from noon to 5 p.m. The Center will offer a variety of wines for curbside pick-up. Here are a few.
2018 Sunburst: 100% Grenache – $24
2019 Piquepoul Blanc – $24
2019 Joy – blend of Malvasia B + Piquepoul Blanc -$25
2018 Hopper – 100% Barbera – $28
2018 Delta – 90% Sangiovese + 10% Refosco – $24.
President Lisa Rhine has announced that Yavapai Community College will hold a digital virtual commencement ceremony live for its spring 2020 graduates on Saturday May 9 at 10 a.m. It will feature music, speakers, and a digital program.
Students, family, friends and others may view the event by going to the College website at yc.edu/commencement2020. (By clicking here you will also be taken to that website.)
A photo and video gallery of the graduates is being put together by the College student ambassadors. The gallery will be available on the College commencement website when it is finished. Graduates may still submit a photo or video at yc.edu/2020ycgrad.
You may view Dr. Rhine’s announcement about commencement in the video clip below.
According to a news story by Maria Polletta and Alison Steinbach, published April 30 in the Arizona Republic, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University all plan to resume in-person classes this fall.
ASU President Michael Crow said he would “implement whatever safety measures and health protocols are necessary to keep students and employees safe” when classes begin August 20.
UA President Robert Robbins said that UA’s in-person classes would operate at 50% capacity so students could distance themselves from each other.
NAU President Rita Cheng, in an email to students, said NAU plans to require physical distancing in all public areas and classrooms. Residential and dining areas will have new health and safety protocols. NAU plans to adopt “state-of-the-art testing and contact tracing” as well as isolation when necessary, Cheng wrote.
At its April meeting, the Yavapai Community College Governing Board discussed whether the decision to reopen face-to-face in-person classes should be made by them or the President. The discussion, which was opened by Representative Paul Chevalier, focused on the seriousness of the Covid19 threat to students and who should assume the enormous responsibility of deciding when the College reopens face-to-face in-person classes.
Paul Chevalier
Chevalier reminded the Board that if students are returned to face-to-face in-person classes before an effective vaccine is available, the decision presents a life and death situation. Because of the unique circumstances and the weight of making such a decision, he argued that the Governing Board “should not” delegate the responsibility to make that kind of decision to the President. He also said that the Board is responsible to the public and should not delegate this issue because of that responsibility.
Deb McCasland
Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland argued that President Rhine was in a better position than the Board to make the decision to reopen face-to-face in-person classes because she is in communication with other colleges and many other authorities that she will provide guidance. When compared to Dr. Rhine, McCasland said “I don’t believe that as a Board member I will have the vast range of knowledge needed” to determine the appropriate time to reopen face-to-face in-person classes.
Lisa Rhine
President Rhine said that reopening face-to-face in-person classes was “operational” and “her responsibility.” She also said that she did not think removing the final decision from her was necessary.
Pat McCarver
Board member Pat McCarver indicated that she wanted to be notified in advance of the decision to reopen, and surmised that this would happen. She reminded the Board that it had delegated to the Community College President the decision of when to close face-to-face in-person classes so allowing her to determine when to restart face-to-face in-person classes appeared consistent with the earlier decision.
Ray Sigafoos
Board member Ray Sigafoos said he was not an “expert in this matter” and the President should rely on experts. He also said that he doubted the Governing Board would have the kind of information available to it to make the decision as to when it was appropriate to reopen face-to-face in-person classes.
Ultimately, McCasland, Sigafoos, and McCarver voted to leave the ultimate decision of when it was appropriate to reopen face-to-face in-person classes in the hands of President Rhine.
Video clips of the discussion by the Governing Board on this issue can be found in the video posted below.
Representative Paul Chevalier
Chair Deb McCasland
Yavapai Community College is taking a new approach to funding and recruiting student athletes.The athletic programs, which all emanate from the Prescott Campus, annually spend about $1.7 million in coaching salaries and related expenses. In addition, they provide athletes with about $650,000 in scholarship assistance from the College’s General Fund. Almost all of the athletes are recruited from outside Yavapai County and many come from outside Arizona.
At the April Governing Board meeting, the issue of scholarships and out-county recruitment was raised by Third District Representative Paul Chevalier. In response to his questions, it was learned that the College is taking major steps to change how it handles athletic scholarships and recruiting.
Vice President Clint Ewell agreed with Chair Deb McCasland that under the College’s new approach the Community College Foundation will seek to raise private money for the athletic scholarships. He stated that if the effort is successful, after a five-year period all athletic scholarships will be self-funded because of private fundraising efforts overseen by the Foundation. This will relieve the General Fund of this obligation.
It was also learned from Chair McCasland, and affirmed by Dr. Ewell, that the College is working to increase Yavapai County student athletic involvement on the various College teams from about one or two percent to about 25%. That is good news to those who have been critical of the athletic program because it has been composed of over 95% of athletes who come from outside Yavapai County. Many of them come from outside Arizona.
You may view a video clip of the Governing Board athletic scholarship discussion below.